While waiting for the wife to get ready, I jumped online and ready spotlight's post, "Sum Ting Wong". I thought to myself how nice it would be to get out today.

During breakfast, my wife informs me that she is going to hang out with her girlfriends today and watch a girly flick then maybe the Academy Awards. She then proceeded to ask me if I was going to fish. Well, I'm not one to close the door on oportunity. And that is why I am here making a report.

I swung by LRO on my way to the park to shoot the breeze with Chuck, cast some flyrods, and lighten my wallet some. I knew I had a good hike in front of me and didn't want it weighing me down on the way in.

I got to the trail and started my hike. I didn't pass a single other fisherman on my way in. It was hard to pass good water like this,

Earlier this week, ChemE and I had shot a couple emails back and forth. In one of them, he had told me about the steelar day he had catching them on top during a quill gordon hatch. I must have taken this to heart, because when I rigged up, I tied on one fly, a size 12 parachute adams. That would be the only fly I used all day.

About 3 casts into my day, I had a real nice fish come up and eat my adams. It ran upstream and I remember thinking that it may just be my best park rainbow of all time. I was thinking rainbow due to the fact that it was sunny, warm, and the middle of the day.

That ain't no rainbow. I snapped a quick picture, and measured it out on by fly rod. I've got a 14" mark above my handle, and this was a solid 1.5" longer. Being satisfied that it was only February and I already had a 15"+ fish under my belt for the year, I sat down and ate a handful of trail mix.

I was fishing much slower than I typically due. It was a nice day and I was content after my first fish. While fishing a real good looking run, I gave it a few more casts than I typically would. I watched a big fish come up from the bottom in slow motion and take my fly. I set the hook and it went nuts. Upstream, downstream, towards me and away. Somehow I kept it on. It eventially settled down and got right in between two seams of real fast water, just laying on the bottom in the rocks. I just kept some even pressure on it not really knowing what to do. If I move it too much, it might hit the fast water and head downstream. There's no way I could turn it if it went that way. I sit there thinking, WWDKD (DK=David Knapp). Then it hit me, I slowly added pressure until I had the fish coming up, when it got near the surface, I reared back on my flyrod as hard as I dared and surfed that thing right across the fast water. Once it was in the slack water on my side of the river, I had it whipped.

Man, this was a great report! Not sure if I could have been much more excited about those two fish if I had caught them myself. You did an excellent job writing about it and I felt like I was wading up the stream with you. Love to see those big browns and even better that they both came on a dry!!! Well done...

Grannyknot

02-27-2012 09:55 AM

Awesome Buzz.
Wish I could say the same about my day in the mtns yesterday.

JohnH0802

02-27-2012 10:53 AM

Great post and pictures. Those are some gorgeous browns, congrats.

John

tnflyfisher

02-27-2012 12:31 PM

Nice fish! I love seeing all these browns that are being caught... I wanna play!! ;)

Tight Lines,

Knothead

02-27-2012 02:17 PM

Great story and pix! Thanks! I was hoping to get up to the Park but with gas going up, I might be sticking close to home.